Towards a new directional turn? Directors with cognitive disabilities

Drawing from my first-hand observations and embodied experiences of having collaborated with HORA over the course of several years, this paper discusses an under-investigated area within the field of disability and performance: pioneering work by directors and with learning or cognitive disabilities, an area which has not yet been addressed in the expanding field of disability and performance studies

Investigations on the structure, biosynthesis and biology of antibacterial cyclic lipopeptides

The study was aimed to find new antibacterial cyclic lipopeptides in Pseudomonas bacteria using genome mining techniques. Application of this genome-driven approach led to the in-silico identification of several orphan biosynthetic gene clusters in plant- and insect-associated Pseudomonas strains. The strain Pseudomonas sp. SH-C52 was chosen for an in-depth analysis due to the presence of a unique gene cluster coding for an unprecedented lipo-dipeptide, a glycosyltransferase and a novel class of FAD-dependent monooxygenase. In a first step, using gene knockout experiments and comparative metabolite profiling, it could be demonstrated that the gene cluster is responsible for the production of the known compound SB-253514 (brabantamide A), and its minor congeners SB-253517 (brabantamide B) and SB-253518 (brabantamide C). The obtained brabantamides were subsequently subjected to a broad antimicrobial screening which revealed significant calcium-independent activities towards selected clinical relevant Gram-positives, e.g. Bacillus subtilis 168 and Arthrobacter crystallopoietes. The minor metabolites brabantamides B and C exhibited a broader antibiotic spectrum including activity towards B. megaterium and Micrococcus luteus. Thereby, especially brabantamide B, which contains an unsaturated fatty acid side chain, exhibited a twofold higher antibacterial potency in comparison with brabantamide A. Thus, a correlation between the side chain and the observed activity became apparent and provided first insights into structure-activity relationships. First preliminary mode of action studies with brabantamide A involving model membrane studies could show that this compound class acts via a defined target and that the antibiotic effects are not mediated by unspecific detergent-like membrane permeabilisation. Complementary luciferase reporter gene assays indicated that brabantamides interfere with peptidoglycan or trigger stress on the cell wall. Furthermore, in cytotoxicity assays brabantamide A was proven to be not toxic to eukaryotic cell lines at antibiotically active concentrations. Due to the uniqueness of the 5,5-bicyclic carbamate structure of brabantamides, whose assembly require a massive rearrangement of the carbon skeleton of a linear dilipopeptide precursor, the second part of the study was focussed on their intriguing biosynthesis. Thus, a biosynthesis hypothesis was developed involving a Baeyer-Villiger reaction mechanism, mediated by the novel monooxygenase BraC. In a series of extensive feeding experiments employing 13C-labelled precursors the hypothesis was tested and finally confirmed. The third part of this study dealt with the potent antimicrobial lipodepsipeptide empedopeptin A. This lipopeptide was isolated along with two new minor congeners, empedopeptin B and C. The peptide sequence of empedopeptin A but not its cyclisation scheme could be confirmed by NMR and MS experiments. In a collaborative effort, also the specific mode of action of empedopeptin A was examined. It could be demonstrated that empedopeptin A inhibits cell wall biosynthesis through Ca2+-dependent complex formation, predominantly with peptidoglycan precursor lipid II, and with lower affinity also with undecaprenyl pyrophosphate and teichoic acid

Magneto-optical study of electron occupation and hole wave functions in stacked self-assembled InP quantum dots

We have studied the magnetophotoluminescence of doubly stacked layers of self-assembled InP quantum dots in a GaInP matrix. 4.0±0.1 monolayers of InP were deposited in the lower layer of each sample, whereas in the upper layer 3.9, 3.4, and 3.0 monolayers were used. Low-temperature photoluminescence measurements in zero magnetic field are used to show that, in each case, only one layer of dots is occupied by an electron, and imply that when the amount of InP in both layers is the same, the dots in the upper layer are larger. High-field photoluminescence data reveal that the position and extent of the hole wave function are strongly dependent on the amount of InP in the stack. ©2001 American Institute of Physics

SSERVI Annual Report: Year 4

The SSERVI Central Office forms the organizational, administrative and collaborative hub for the domestic and international teams, and is responsible for advocacy and ensuring the long-term health and relevance of the Institute. SSERVI has increased the cross-talk between NASAs space and human exploration programs, which is one of our primary goals. We bring multidisciplinary teams together to address fundamental and strategic questions pertinent to future human space exploration, and the results from that research are the primary products of the institute. The team and international partnership reports contain summaries of 2017 research accomplishments. Here we present the 2017 accomplishments by the SSERVI Central Office that focus on: 1) Supporting Our Teams, 2) Community Building, 3) Managing the Solar System Treks Portal (SSTP), and 4) Public Engagement

Franz Ludwig Catel (1778-1856): Untersuchungen zum Werk des Malers anhand ausgewählter Beispiele aus seiner italienischen Zeit

Diese Arbeit befasst sich schwerpunktmäßig mit typischen Bildmotiven Catels aus seiner italienischen Zeit. Dabei werden sowohl bekannte Gemälde aus Museen (Kronprinz Ludwig in der Weinschenke/Neue Pinakothek München und Schinkel in Neapel/Nationalgalerie Berlin)als auch weniger bekannte Bilder aus dem Kunsthandel und Privatbesitz erörtert. Ab 1811 bis zu seinem Tod lebte der Künstler in Italien und entfaltete dort seinen charakteristischen Malstil, der ihm zu Lebzeiten großen Erfolg bescherte. Die Bedeutung einiger seiner Werke wird im Kontext der verschiedenen Bildgattungen und ihrer Bildtradition näher erläutert. Er grenzte sich stilistisch von den meisten Zeitgenossen ab, die sich zu dieser Zeit in Italien aufhielten, wie z.B. die Nazarener und Koch. Catel spezialisierte sich auf Landschaften mit Staffage, Veduten und Genrebilder, wobei er es verstand, variierende Bildmotive in atmosphärische Lichtstimmungen einzufügen. Einen besonderen Stellenwert nehmen die Porträts und Bildmotive nach literarischen Vorlagen ein. Sein Markenzeichen waren Interieurs mit Landschaftsausblick, bei denen er durch den Kontrast von dunklem Innenraum und lichtdurchflutetem Außenraum besondere Effekte erzielte. Mit seinen Schilderungen des Alltags und der Feste der Einheimischen betonte er den idyllischen und harmonischen Charakter dieser Epoche und schuf einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Malerei der Romantik in Italien

Cutaneous nociceptors lack sensitisation, but reveal \u3bc-opioid receptor-mediated reduction in excitability to mechanical stimulation in neuropathy

Background: Peripheral nerve injuries often trigger a hypersensitivity to tactile stimulation. Behavioural studies demonstrated efficient and side effect-free analgesia mediated by opioid receptors on peripheral sensory neurons. However, mechanistic approaches addressing such opioid properties in painful neuropathies are lacking. Here we investigated whether opioids can directly inhibit primary afferent neuron transmission of mechanical stimuli in neuropathy. We analysed the mechanical thresholds, the firing rates and response latencies of sensory fibres to mechanical stimulation of their cutaneous receptive fields.Results: Two weeks following a chronic constriction injury of the saphenous nerve, mice developed a profound mechanical hypersensitivity in the paw innervated by the damaged nerve. Using an in vitro skin-nerve preparation we found no changes in the mechanical thresholds and latencies of sensory fibres from injured nerves. The firing rates to mechanical stimulation were unchanged or reduced following injury. Importantly, \u3bc-opioid receptor agonist [D-Ala2,N-Me-Phe4,Gly5]-ol-enkephalin (DAMGO) significantly elevated the mechanical thresholds of nociceptive A\u3b4 and C fibres. Furthermore, DAMGO substantially diminished the mechanically evoked discharges of C nociceptors in injured nerves. These effects were blocked by DAMGO washout and pre-treatment with the selective \u3bc-opioid receptor antagonist Cys2-Tyr3-Orn5-Pen7-amide. DAMGO did not alter the responses of sensory fibres in uninjured nerves.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that behaviourally manifested neuropathy-induced mechanosensitivity does not require a sensitised state of cutaneous nociceptors in damaged nerves. Yet, nerve injury renders nociceptors sensitive to opioids. Prevention of action potential generation or propagation in nociceptors might represent a cellular mechanism underlying peripheral opioid-mediated alleviation of mechanical hypersensitivity in neuropathy. \ua9 2012 Schmidt et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute: Building Collaboration Through International Partnerships

The NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) is a virtual institute focused on research at the intersection of science and exploration, training the next generation of lunar scientists, and community development. As part of the SSERVI mission, we act as a hub for opportunities that engage the larger scientific and exploration communities in order to form new interdisciplinary, research-focused collaborations. This talk will describe the international partnership program, research efforts and how we are engaging the international science and exploration communities through workshops, conferences, online seminars and classes, student exchange programs and internships

Mikrozensus 1996: Dokumentation und Datenaufbereitung

In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden nach einer kurzen Beschreibung des Mikrozensus 1996 und weiteren Informationen zur Prüfung der faktisch anonymisierten Daten die einzelnen Schritte der Datenaufbereitung beschrieben. Die Darstellung der Datenaufbereitung bezieht sich auf den faktisch anonymisierten Gesamtfile (Scientific Use File). Die Dokumentation zum Mikrozensus 1996 umfasst Informationen zur Abgrenzung und Hochrechnung der Bevölkerungsbegriffe, Hinweise auf die Plausibilitätsprüfung und Anmerkungen zur Randverteilung des faktisch anonymisierten Mikrozensus 1996. Die Datenaufbereitung umfasst die Plausibilitäts- und Validitätsprüfung, das Erstellen des endgültigen Systemfiles mit Recodierungen, die Definition von Missings sowie die Formattransformationen und Variable-/Value-Labels. (ICI

Energie, Klima, Raum. Wie lässt sich Mobilität sinnvoll steuern? Einführung

Document type: Boo